1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle passenger seat with hinged armrests which are lockable in use position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Passenger seats with armrests which are mounted on the seat base are known. There is known, for example, an upwardly offset armrest which is mounted on an armrest carrier tiltably about an axis extending parallel to the armrest and in which the armrest is lockable in both the upper and the lower end position. Such an arrangement is quite suitable and requires only a relatively small armrest carrier but difficulties arise in operating such armrest mainly because the passengers are used to armrests which can be tilted up or down by their front end. Such armrests are therefore usually not swung down by the passengers resulting not only in difficulties in taking a seat but also sometimes in injuries to the passengers particularly if the vehicle accelerates before the passengers have taken their seats.
There are further passenger seats known in which the armrests are mounted on the backrest tiltably about an axis transverse to the seat. With such an arrangement however the position of the armrest changes when the backrest is reclined and such arrangements are therefore not suitable for recliner seats or they have to include a ratchet mechanism allowing for various positions of the armrest relative to the backrest which positions need to be adjusted each time the backrest position is changed. Generally, in order to swing the armrest down, the ratchet mechanism has to be held disengaged until the armrest is completely pivoted down. Upwardly, the armrest can be pivoted until the ratchet engages the proper armrest position. Such armrests are generally without problems for the passenger but the optional angular position of the armrest is not always readily found and may not exist for certain backrest positions. Furthermore, the ratchet mechanism is complicated and relatively expensive to manufacture. Also, furthermore, the armrest usually protrudes from the seatback upholstery even when fully tilted down which may still cause injuries.
It is therefore desirable to provide a vehicle passenger seat with an armrest whose position remains unaffected by the reclining of the backrest and which is pivotal in the conventional manner, that is, about a transverse axis. Upon such pivoting of the armrest out of a locked use position which is possible simply by operating a release mechanism the armrest should not protrude from the upholstery of the backrest and the seat portion.